


Knights of the Round Covenant

by thejedigal



Category: Arthur of the Britons, Arthurian Mythology
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Betrayal, Camelot, Court Sorcerer Merlin, Excalibur, F/M, Fantasy, Female Arthur Pendragon, Female Friendship, Female Protagonist, Magic, Male-Female Friendship, Modern Era, Original Character(s), POV Original Character, POV Original Female Character, Romance, Sexual Tension, Urban Fantasy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-06
Updated: 2015-05-14
Packaged: 2018-03-29 07:22:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3887371
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thejedigal/pseuds/thejedigal
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Erin Sommers is a high school history teacher. She spends her days hanging out with her best friend, Cat, and grading papers. Then a new teacher shows up at the school and things start going haywire. Monsters begin appearing in the city and a society of knights confronts Erin with a startling truth: she is the reincarnation of King Arthur! And it is her responsibility to finish a war that has been raging for centuries with the witch Morgana. But, as Erin begins to discover, not all stories have happy endings or  are as black and white as they first seem.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Arthur

“Even good kings, good men can be corrupted by the simplest of things: doubt.”

Chapter 1: Arthur

The dream began like always: I was running, from what I didn’t know. I could barely breathe. I heard screams all around me. Fire and smoke consumed the buildings around me. Finally a soldier appeared, he wore medieval looking armor and carried a long sword and shield, and he shouted in my direction, “The city has been evacuated, my liege!” Liege? Before I could process this and respond the smoke blurred my vision. The knight called out into the darkness, “We must leave, now!” 

Next, I felt the cold ground against my back. I opened my eyes and was staring up to the sky. An elderly man with white hair and a long beard knelt over me. A sharp pain flooded through my body. The man looked sad. A tear slowly traveled down his cheek. He seemed to be whispering something but I couldn’t quite catch it. The chaos from before seemed muffled. I could barely make out what was going on around me. Finally the man laid his hand on my forehead.  
He said, “Until we meet again, your grace.”  
Then everything went black.

 

I awoke to the loud, irritating noise of my alarm clock. In my groggy state I reached over and tried as best I could to find the button that turned it off. After struggle for a short while I smacked the thing off the table and sent it flying to the floor. Fortunately, the beeping stopped, unfortunately, I would probably have to buy a new alarm clock. 

I sighed and looked up at the ceiling. Every time I had the dream it seemed so real. I felt the heat of the fires on my skin, tasted the soot of the smoke in my mouth, felt the warmth of the old man’s hand on my forehead. But I still couldn’t understand what the dream was. At first I thought I’d simply watched too many fantasy movies or read too many age-old romance novels. But this was different. Even after waking I felt the power of the dream in my bones. As if it was still calling me.

“Wow, I really need to start taking medication,” I shook my head and ran a hand through my sweaty bangs. “Well, time to get up!” 

My dreams might have been focused on fantasy but I had a reality to focus on. Namely, a job that involved teaching several hundred teenagers about historical events they could care less about. I was a history teacher at Falling Meadows High and had been for the past three years. And if I wanted to keep that job I had to hurry up because there was a meeting taking place this morning before the kids arrived.

I rushed into the bathroom, took a quick shower, brushed my teeth, etc. I stopped in front of the mirror on my dresser to confirm the unruly state of my shoulder-length brown hair. I had very fine hair and it would almost never conform to the shape I wanted. I decided to go for a tight bun today. A few strands of my hair escaped but I tamed them with several pins. Despite the unruly nature of my hair, its color went well with my crystal clear blue eyes. I also had a dusting of freckles across my cheeks and nose. 

Looking at the clock and seeing how little time I had left, perhaps two or three minutes before I had to race to my car, I slipped into the first set of clothes I saw: black dress pants and a blue elbow-length sleeve peasant top. I also grabbed a shawl on my way out in case the AC was turned up high today. Shoes. Check. Keys. Check. Teacher ID. Check. Purse. Check. 

And out the door I went.

 

I made it to school with a few minutes to spare. As I raced into the school I almost ran down my coworker and best friend, Catherine Hughes, or Cat as I liked to call her.

“Whoa! Where’s the fire?” Cat laughed.

“Sorry,” I said sheepishly, “Just afraid that I would miss the meeting.”

“Oh, you don’t need to worry. Hasn’t even started yet,” she reassured me.

I sighed with relief and smiled. “You always known what to say.”

Cat stuck her tongue out and patted me on the shoulder. “I’ve got your back, girl. I even saved us seats together.” 

Cat really was the best. She kept me grounded amidst all the craziness.

“Also, I picked us up some coffee since I assumed you were in a rush this morning.”  
I hugged Cat tight. “Thank you! How did you know?”

Cat laughed. “You mean besides the fact that I couldn’t get you on the phone?”

I gasped and began searching frantically for my phone. Damn it. I’d left it at home. Just my luck. I blamed the dream from last night for this.

“I’m so sorry, Cat. Ugh, I haven’t been sleeping well lately. Awful nightmares.”

Cat’s face became concerned. “It’s alright, honey. Do you want to talk about the nightmares? We can talk over coffee while we wait for the meeting to begin.”

I smiled at her weakly. “Sure, just let me use the restroom first then I’ll meet back up with you in the auditorium.”

Cat gave me a quick hug before going back to the auditorium. Falling Meadows High was a pretty big school. Bigger than any Cat had worked at before apparently. We had a total of 3,000 students and they came from all walks of life. Since the student population was so large we had to have a big staff to match. Therefore, we held all our staff meetings in the auditorium. There were some seventy teachers in total. The principal, Mr. Havers, was a tough man, strict on those who misbehaved but also supporting of those who deserved praise. Cat and I liked him quite a bit even though he seemed forever in a state of unhappiness. I’d heard he was going through a rough divorce with his wife of twenty some years. Rumors spread like wildfire amongst the students and the teachers alike.

 

As I came out of the restroom, I noticed a man milling about near the entrance of the school. He seemed lost.

“Can I help you, sir?” I walked up to him.

His confused expression turned to one of relief when he spotted me. His bright green eyes instantly connected with my blue ones. I felt a shiver go through my body. Who was this man?

“Oh, hello!” The man chuckled and ran a hand through his hair. 

His locks were rather long. Almost as long as mine but he kept them tidy in a loose ponytail at the base of his neck.

“I must look suspicious just standing here, huh?” He shot me a grin.

I cocked my head to the side and smiled. “A little bit. Should I be calling security?” 

I made like I was about to walk off and do just that when he reached out and touched my forearm lightly. I felt a pulse of electricity shoot through my entire body. The charm bracelet I wore on my wrist felt hot for a second. What the hell?

“No need for that! I promise I’m an upstanding gentleman. Although, saying that makes me sound even more suspicious. Oh, my, I am not very good at introductions.”

He fidgeted a bit more, scratching the back of his neck, then continued.

“My name is Lee Pierce and I am the new English literature teacher here.”

He held out his hand. I hesitated for a moment and caught his gaze once more. His skin was rather fair, almost alabaster. It created a striking contrast with his dark hair. He wore a cream-colored shirt with a brown tie, brown slacks and dark shoes. The fabric folded nicely over his body. He wasn’t overly muscular but lithe, like a swimmer. The ladies in the secretarial office were most certainly going to have a field day with him. I chuckled a bit at this thought.

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Pierce. I’m Erin Sommers, history teacher extraordinaire.”

I took his hand in mine and gave it a firm shake.

“Please, Ms. Sommers, call me Lee. I am not one for formalities with my students or my coworkers.”

I let go of his hand and nodded. 

“Alright, Lee. And you can call me Erin.”

Before either of us could say anything further a voice interrupted.  
“There you are! Mr. Pierce, I heard you’d had car trouble. Is everything alright?”

It was Mr. Havers, the principal. That must mean the meeting was centered on the newcomer, Lee. I flushed. How had I not made the connection? Of course! I wanted to mentally slap myself. Lee stepped around me to shake the principal’s hand.

“My deepest apologies, Mr. Havers. I just moved to this area and apparently my car suffered worse from the traveling than I thought.”

“That is quite alright, Mr. Havers. Just don’t be late again.” 

Mr. Havers gave Lee shake of his finger before guiding him towards the auditorium. I followed closely behind, breaking off once we entered the auditorium to find Cat and take my seat next to her. She handed me my coffee with a confused look on her face.  
“What kept you? Did you fall in the toilet?” She smiled.

“Ha ha, very funny.” I took a sip of my coffee and poked her lightly in the shoulder. “No, I got caught up talking with the new teacher, Mr. Pierce.”

Cat arched an eyebrow. “New teacher? So that’s why we’re all here before the crack of dawn. What’s he like?”

“You are about to find out.”

I motioned to the front of the auditorium where Mr. Havers led Lee onto the stage and towards the podium.

“Good morning, everyone!” Mr. Havers’ booming voice washed over us. 

Murmurs of good mornings followed in reply. No one was completely wide awake yet. I sucked down the caffeine in my cup.

“I apologize for the late start. We only have a few short moments before the students arrive but I wanted to introduce to you all to the newest teacher working here with us at Falling Meadows, Mr. Lee Pierce!”

Half-hearted clapping followed. Lee approached the microphone and gave us his best apologetic smile.  
“My apologies to everyone for delaying this little shindig.”

A few chuckles could be heard for the use of “shingdig.” I smiled a bit myself.

“My car broke down and I had to have my sister drop me off at work. My older sister. Fun, right?”

Even though he was trying to lighten the atmosphere, you could tell that he made fun of his sister in a loving way. It came through in the tone of his voice. 

“Uh oh, older sister. Off limits for me,” Cat joked.

I shushed her playfully with a nudge in the side.

“Hey! What was that for?” 

“You know what for, silly. Concentrate!” I giggled and finished off my coffee before returning my gaze to Lee.

“Anyways! I just wanted to thank you all for your patience and tell you how excited I am to be working here at Falling Meadows. I look forward to getting to know each and every one of you!”

Everyone in the auditorium clapped. Apparently, Lee’s little speech had roused everyone out of their drowsy states. It didn’t hurt that several female teachers were making a beeline for him as he left the stage. I rolled my eyes and turned to Cat.

“Well, better get to my classroom. Will you walk with me?”

“Only if you’re sure you don’t want to get Prince Charming’s autograph.”

She gestured over to Lee and his growing throng of fans.

I shook my head.

“I already had plenty of time with him earlier. I need a break,” I joked.

Cat feigned shock, “Oh Erin, you minx!”

We both laughed it off as we made our way out of the auditorium. 

 

During lunch time I had a few moments to myself. After eating a sandwich and banana, and downing some water, I decided to grade some homework. I pulled out papers from an earlier class and began checking them. I had just finished the first one when the charm bracelet on my wrist caught my attention. Earlier, when Lee touched my forearm, it had felt hot. Almost as if the bracelet was responding to something. It’d never done that before. 

I examined the bracelet. I’d had it for longer than I could remember. My parents told me that they’d received it anonymously a few days after my birth. The bracelet itself was rather simplistic. A few red beads attached together by pieces of leather with only one charm hanging from them: that of a sword. I didn’t know why a sword of all things. My parents tried to track down who had sent the gift to possibly explain the significance but no such luck. I’d carried the thing with me now for twenty-seven years.

A knock at my door pulled me from my thoughts. I looked up to see Lee standing there in the doorway. He seemed a bit out of breath.

“Are you alright?” I asked.

“Oh, fine,” he panted while sauntering into the classroom. “Just had to escape from some demanding office ladies.”

“Having it tough on your first day, I see.” I smiled.

He sighed and gestured to a student’s seat.

“May I?”

“Be my guest. But I’ll have to sanitize it afterwards,” I chuckled.

Lee made a face and sat down. 

“How generous of you. I’ll hide out here for just a little while if that’s alright.”

I nodded my consent then went back to checking papers. A few minutes later the bell that signaled the end of lunch rang. Lee stood up, stretched and bowed to me.

“Thank you milady for the safe haven.” 

“You are most welcome, good sir,” I replied.

“I’ll see you around, Erin.” 

He started to make his way out when he stopped and turned around. I looked up from my grading and was shocked by the intensity of his gaze on me. For a moment it felt as if we’d known each other for a lot longer than a couple hours. 

“Erin, do you know a good car mechanic in town?”

I don’t know what I was expecting to happen but he asking me that question surprised me for some reason. 

“Oh, right! You mentioned some car troubles this morning. Here” I scribbled a phone number and address down for a relatively cheap place.

When he took the post-it note from my hand our fingers touched briefly. Once again a jolt weaved its way through my body and the bracelet on my wrist grew warm. I tried to remain composed and act as if I felt nothing. Lee didn’t seem phased in the least. He thanked me for the information and left. I really needed to sleep better tonight. Or stop shocking people I touched.

 

After classes ended I met up with Cat in the teacher’s lounge. She was seated at a table, nursing a cup of coffee. 

“You look a little worse for wear. What happened?” I asked.

She looked up at me and sighed. “Oh the usual. Anthony is acting up again in class. Throwing stuff at other students. Refusing to do any pair or group work. Angry all the time.”

 

Ah, yes, Anthony Baker. A 12th grader with a penchant for disrupting class and making his teacher’s lives chaotic. He was the model student until a few months ago when his parents started divorce proceedings.  
“I have given him detention before but I feel like that isn’t helping at all. I would recommend he see the school counselor but I am not sure he will talk with a complete stranger.”

Cat pushed a strand of hair out of her face. 

Catherine Hughes was the most beautiful woman I’d seen in my entire life. She had bright red hair with highlights of blonde running throughout. Her eyes were a chocolatey brown so warm you wanted to sink into them. Long sweeping lashes framed her eyes and no finer complexion could one ask for. Seeing the lines of worry and frustration etched into her brow now made her look several years older. She really was stressed out.

I sat down next to her. 

“Why don’t you try taking him aside after school and talking one on one?” I suggested.

“I’ve thought about doing that. Not sure he will go for it and I can’t force him but it is worth a try.”

“Let me know if you need any backup.” I added.

“Thanks, Erin. I appreciate it. But enough about my issues! You still haven’t told me about your nightmares and we have a little bit of time before clubs start up.”

~

 

Two weeks went by without any more incidents between Lee and me. The nightmares persisted though and I was losing sleep. Despite my haggard appearance at work, I managed to fool everyone but Cat that I was fine. Lee seemed to be settling in well and all the teachers, even the men, loved him. I had to hand it to him: he could get along well with almost anyone. Then, one day after clubs finished, Lee and I were both finishing up and leaving at the same time. 

“Erin, wait up!”

I stopped and looked back at Lee racing to catch up to me.

“Good, I’m glad I caught you.” 

He smiled at me warmly. I couldn’t help but find myself smiling back.

“What’s up, Lee?”

“Well, you see…I thought that since we are both finishing work at the same time…” He let his sentence drop off and fidgeted with his bag.

“You thought that because we are both done work and probably hungry, we might go to dinner together?” I suggested helpfully.

Lee nodded, a pleased grin spreading across his face. 

I laughed softly. “You know, I don’t usually go out on a date with a guy who can’t properly ask me out in the first place.”

“I see…”

“But,” I interjected, “I’m rather hungry and I could use the company.”

 

We ended up eating at a little Japanese place close by. I ordered an assortment of sushi while Lee ordered some rice, miso soup and a fish dish. At first it was pretty awkward but after fifteen minutes or so we began chatting about odds and ends. Lee told me how he was adjusting to the school, the students, etc. He seemed to really care for his students and invested in the club he’d been assigned. I told him about a few students I’d had some trouble with this week and what I planned to do about it. We both talked about our teaching subjects before moving on to which office workers were the easiest to deal with. We even chatted a little about Mr. Havers. This dinner didn’t feel like a first date at all and I think we both were better for it. We were just two colleagues eating together and enjoying a respite from a tough week. 

I excused myself from the table after we’d finished our main dishes and made my way to the restroom. Once inside I pulled out my purse and skimmed through the meager cosmetics I carried. I looked into the mirror at my disheveled hair and weary eyes. I looked awful and suddenly felt very self-conscious about my appearance. Did I like Lee? Maybe. Did I have time for romance? Probably not, especially with these horrid nightmares lately ruining my beauty sleep. I sighed and began applying a little mascara, blush and lip coloring. After that I trotted into the nearest stall. As soon as I had the door closed I heard someone else enter the restroom. They seemed in a hurry. Suddenly they were pounding on the door to my stall.

“Excuse me! Someone is in here!” I shouted over the banging.

“Erin! Get out here now!” The person responded.

It wasn’t just any person either. It was Cat. What the hell? 

“Cat? What are you doing here?” I quickly finished my business and opened the door.

Cat stood there in full armor. REAL armor, like the kind from the old medieval days, yet it was updated a bit and seemed more like a Kevlar body suit with bits of metal strapped here and there. On the right should pad there was an image of a castle with a sword through it and over the heart area on the chest pad there was some kind of coat of arms. Cat’s coat of arms seemed to be stripes with a sun in the middle. I was so amazed by the armor that I failed to notice a beautiful sword strapped to a belt on Cat’s waist. And on her back a massive shield.

“Cat…what’s going on?” I grew concerned.

Cat pulled me out of the stall and towards the bathroom exit.

“No time to explain right now but we have to get out of here before the Ursum finds you and puts all these people in danger, including you.”

I think my brows shot up into my hairline. 

“A what? Finds me? Why?” I stammered as Cat dragged me along.

Just as we made it to the exit a giant crash sounded in the restaurant. People started screaming followed by a roar of tremendous proportions. 

“Is that the Ursum?” I asked, a shiver of fear running down my spine. 

Cat nodded and held a finger to her lips asking for silence. I nodded and tried to keep myself from whimpering as we nudged our way out into the restaurant. It wasn’t long before we caught a glimpse of the Ursum creature Cat mentioned earlier. The Ursum looked like a giant bear but with eyes glowing green and a shield of spikes along its collarbone.

“I’ll distract it and get it away from these people while you escape out the back,” Cat whispered.

“What?! No way!” I protested. “I am not leaving you alone with this thing!”

I wasn’t sure what the hell I could do to help but I didn’t want to leave my best friend behind while I ran away.

“This isn’t up for debate, Erin. Your life is more important than mine!” Cat’s words made my heart twist in on itself. How could my life ever be more important than hers?! Did she know how important she was to me? 

Unfortunately, I had no time to argue as Cat shoved me away from her, in the direction of the kitchen in the back, and raced towards the Ursum to get its attention.

“Hey! Ugly! If it’s a fight you want then come after me!” Cat unsheathed her sword and waved it in the creature’s face. 

The glowing green eyes immediately turned to focus on Cat. The giant bear monster sniffed the air then spoke in a deep voice, “What do we have here? The blood of a knight flows through your veins. How nice.” The Ursum then spread his mouth wide displaying a frightful amount of large teeth. “If you’re here then that must mean his royal highness is not far away.”

“Enough talk! Come get me!” Cat dashed through a broken window and the Ursum shot after her.

I could barely breathe as I lie there on the floor of the restaurant. What the hell was going on? As I tried in vain to wrap my head around the situation an image popped into my thoughts. Lee! He’d still been at our table when the monster attacked. Was he okay? I got up and looked around.

It seemed that everyone had escaped successfully before the Ursum had a chance to hurt anyone too badly. The restaurant itself on the other hand needed repairs. I breathed a sigh of relief then decided to follow Cat’s wishes and head out the back. Perhaps I could find Lee and make sure he was alright. I could also call the police or something and get Cat help.

 

The back door deposited me in an alley. I quickly made my way to the street where crowds of people were milling around talking with authorities. Apparently someone had already called the police. I walked over to the closest officer.

“Excuse me, officer. My friend is in danger. That “thing,” chased after her. I think they both went in the direction of the park.” I tried to not sound too frantic but failed miserably. My adrenaline was at Mach 10.

“Miss, I need you to calm down. You said your friend went in the direction of the Mayberry Park?”

“Yes!”

“Don’t worry we have officers following the creature as we speak and a helicopter tracking its movements.”

“Really?! Oh thank God!” The police were a lot more proactive than I thought they would be. I collapsed against the police car.

“Miss? I think you are in shock. We need to get you to a hospital. Medic!”

The police officer called over an ambulance medic who handed me a blanket to keep me warm and started to check my vitals. I was too freaked out to fight her off so I just stood there as she rattled off my situation to the officer. As the medic began to walk me towards an ambulance a group of two men in armor similar to Cat’s approached us.

“My apologies but you can’t take her,” said the man with closely cropped dirty blonde hair. 

“Who are you?” The medic asked.

“Let’s just say we’re the good guys.” The platinum blonde man slipped his arm around the medic’s shoulders and brought his face close to hers. He put on his most award winning smile.

The medic pushed him away. “Look here, this woman is in shock. She needs medical attention. Now, excuse us.”

The dirty blonde haired man sighed and stepped forward.

“We don’t have time for this.” He mumbled some kind of foreign words and waved his hand in front of the medic’s face. 

The medic’s eyes seemed to glaze over and when she spoke next it was in a monotone. “I am sorry for delaying you. Please take the woman.” The medic then walked off.

“What did you do to her?” I asked.

“Nothing permanent or damaging,” replied the dirty blonde. “We just need to get a move on.”

“Right! Allow me,” said the platinum blonde one. He scooped me up into his arms. I had no energy to resist even though I was shouting curses at him in my mind. WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?!

All I could manage was, “What…what are you doing?”

“Saving you, of course! Cat would never forgive us if we didn’t!” The platinum blonde explained.

“Shut up, Maxwell. Let’s just get out of here.” The dirty blonde grumbled.

“Sorry about him. He’s a little irritated right now.” The platinum blonde, or Maxwell as the other man referred to him, smiled.

“Wait! What about Cat?” I could barely keep my eyes open.

“Don’t worry! We sent Tucker after her. The two of them should be able to handle one Ursum,” Maxwell said.

“But…” I tried to protest but my brain was already shutting down.

“Sleep now, your majesty. We will explain everything later.”

And sleep I did.


	2. Morgana

“The deepest scars come from those we love the most.”

Chapter 2: Morgana

            I woke with a pounding headache. I tried to sit up but had to lay back down almost immediately because of dizziness. I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths. Then the events of last night came back to me. Lee and I having dinner together. Cat showing up in the bathroom and warning me. A giant creature attacking us. Then Cat leading the creature away. Cat?! I shot up from the bed only to quickly fall down onto the floor. My entire body screamed out in agony. Wonderful.

            “Whoa! What do you think you’re doing?” A voice said to me.

I was laying on my back and through my blurry vision saw a male figure lean over me. He had very striking blonde hair. Platinum, you could say.

            “Are you alright? Let’s get you back into bed.” He said warmly.

I felt his strong arms slide under me and help me into a standing position. I was grateful for the assistance because I wasn’t sure I could make it back to the bed on my own. He got me resituated under the covers then set some water and medicine down on the table next to the bed.

            “This should help with the remaining pain and dizziness.” He gestured towards the tablets.

I looked at him suspiciously but decided that if he’d wanted to kill me, he would’ve already done it by now. Plus, I really wanted the pain to stop. I picked up the two pills and washed them down with the cool, refreshing water. Almost immediately I felt slightly better. What brand were these pills?

            “You should be completely pain-free in an hour or two.” The man smiled at me.

            “Thank you,” I replied.

I took a moment to look over my new nurse maid. The armor he wore last night was replaced by a dark leather jacket, a teal polo-shirt (with the buttons hanging open I might add, revealing sandy chest hair), baggy blue jeans and leather shoes. He wasn’t a bad-looking specimen either. He had tan skin, hazel eyes, and a scar running through his left eyebrow which made him sexier if that was possible. His body wasn’t like that of Lee’s. Where Lee was lithe and fluid lines this man was built chiseled and stocky. A forced cough snapped me back to my senses. Oh my God, I had just been checking this guy out while directly in front of him, completely spacing out.

            “Do you like what you see?” He shot me a lascivious grin.

            “No! I mean, yes! I mean,” I sputtered, “You’re very nice looking but-“

            He started laughing. “Calm down. Don’t worry! I was just teasing with you. I don’t believe we’ve been formally introduced yet. I’m Maxwell Carawey.”

He held his hand out to me.

            “I’m Erin Sommers…” I replied cautiously.

I took his warm hand in mine and shook it once.

            “Well, then, I am sure there are lots of questions you want to ask me, yes?” He pulled a chair over and sat down next to the bed.

            “Yes!” I latched on to the topic change. There were so many things I needed answered. “First, where am I?”

            “You’re in a KRC safe house,” he replied.

            “KRC?” I asked.

            “Oh sorry! KRC or Knights of the Round Covenant,” he explained.

            Knights of the Round Covenant? It sounded like some kind of religious group. Had I stumbled into a cult? I started to worry a little.

            “Where’s Cat? Is she alright?” I didn’t so much as ask this as I demanded it.

            “She is a little beaten up but otherwise fine.”

            I let out a massive sigh of relief. She was _fine_. She was going to be ok. Thank God.

            “Can I see her?”

            “Not just yet. We have to get you back to good health first. Plus, she is helping Tucker with his training right now.” Maxwell fiddled with a piece of lint on his jeans.

            “What? Training him? Just what exactly is this place? And how is Cat involved?” The questions started spewing from my mouth. I could feel the headache worsening again. I hated how little information I had.

            “Whoa, whoa! Slow down. One question at a time please.”

Maxwell shook his finger at me in a chastising manner but his tone and expression suggested otherwise. He was playing with me again. He seemed to be a laid back kind of guy. Then again, I would be too if I understood everything that was going on.

            “As to your first question,” he continued, “Yes. Cat is training with Tucker. Tucker is the newest member of our order and still a bit inexperienced. We assigned Cat as his master so to speak. She watches out for him and he, her. Just like he did last night. This place is, as I said before, a KRC safe house. There are several around the city. We have a headquarters too. Cat, like me, has a destiny here that must be fulfilled.”

            “What destiny is that?” I asked. Fifteen minutes or so had passed so I managed a seated position while still listening to Maxwell.

            “Well, Erin Sommers, the destiny of protecting you,” he replied like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

            “Me? What’s so special about me that needs protecting?”

          “I’m glad you’re seated for this because it might be a little overwhelming.” Maxwell smiled. “You, Erin Sommers, are special because you are King Arthur, ruler of all Britannia.”

            That was when the door opened and in walked the most attractive man ever.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When Lee stepped into his apartment he felt her before he saw her.

            “What are you doing here, Morgana?” He tried best to maintain his composure.

Morgana flipped the light switch on, illuminating them both in the small apartment. She was relaxing on a leather chaise, drinking some red wine. She wore an evening gown of sorts with her accompanying heels kicked off on to the floor. Her bright red hair was partly in a bun, the rest cascaded down her back in light curls. Her green eyes matched Lee’s own.

            “I just wanted to see how your date went.” She smiled. “Can’t a sister be interested in her brother’s love life?”

Lee maintained his composure as he walked over to the couch and sat down. Morgana took another sip of wine, waiting for his response. Lee fixed her with a glare.

            “You should know how it went. Your beast crashed it.”

            “Don’t speak that way about Reggard. You know he is sensitive to name-calling,” Morgana pouted.

            Lee felt his composure snap.

            “Did you have to involve all those civilians?! Was that really necessary? Someone could have been seriously hurt!” He shouted.

            “But they weren’t, my dear brother.” Morgana put her wine glass down and began to fiddle with a lock of her hair.

            “That’s beside the point! Does your revenge know no bounds?” He demanded.

           “You’re one to talk, brother.” She threw the lock of hair over her shoulder, irritated. “You knew who she was and yet you still asked her out on a date. What are you planning exactly?”

            “That’s none of your business, Morgana. I have my own things to deal with.” He replied defensively.

            “I see,” she said. “And now you know why I had to send Reggard. You rarely ever tell me anything. If you had cooperated with me then I could have gone after her in a less populated area.”

            Lee sighed and ran a hand through his dark hair. He’d taken it out of its ponytail and now it hung around his face like a cloak.

            “What happened with the knights?”

            “I almost thought I would get to kill one of them until another showed up to assist.” Morgana huffed. “They managed to fend off Reggard but didn’t injury him severely. Besides, they have her now, they will focus on protecting her over facing us. That gives us time to prepare.”

            “Great, more scheming,” Lee rolled his eyes. “You know, Morgana, for someone who has lived as long as you have, you are sure focused on the negative things in life. Why don’t you do something fun for once?”

            Morgana laughed. “You mean like you? Get a job, act normal and all that? How very funny of you brother dear to even suggest it! You even changed your name, right? What do they call you?”

            Lee stood up and moved to the kitchen to get some liquor for himself. He really needed it right now. His sister really drove him crazy.

            “Lee. That’s the name I chose. And it makes it easier to blend in when your name isn’t something from age-old stories.”

            He pulled out a glass and filled it to the brim with whiskey. He then set down the bottle and knocked back the glass. He began to pour more.

            “You say stories but we lived those times, Mordred.” Morgana had gotten up from the chaise and now stood in the kitchen with him. She leaned against the counter top. “How can we just toss aside what we are to become something else? Just because time has moved on doesn’t mean we have to. Think of how the world was when magic ruled.”

            Lee finished his second glass of whiskey. He kept his back to Morgana. “Ah yes, the age of magic. I remember so clearly how we were tortured, our homes burned and taken from us. All because you were spurned by your lover and felt it necessary to unleash your dark magic on him and his kingdom.”

            “He didn’t just spurn me, Mordred! He spurned our entire clan! He let doubt get the better of him and listened to the crazies who marked us as evil!” Morgana reached out a hand and grabbed her brother’s shoulder.

            Lee turned to face his sister. He laid his hand over hers.

            “I know! I know better than anyone what we suffered! But don’t act like you are free of any responsibility!”

            “What has gotten into you brother?”

            “Nothing. I am just tired of all the scheming and fighting. King Arthur is dead, sister. He’s been dead for centuries. Shouldn’t we move on with our life?”

            Morgana pulled her hand from his. She stomped out of the kitchen and towards the window, looking out over the city.

            “My mission won’t be finished until Merlin’s magic is ended and Arthur’s reincarnation is stopped. Then, with them gone, nothing can stop me from tapping into this planet’s magical energy and returning things to what they were. To find us a home.”

            Lee sighed and walked over to his sister.

            “I think you left one little thing out of your equation: Arthur’s knights.”

            Morgana smiled. “Oh, I didn’t forget them. I already have a plan to deal with them.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            I turned to look at the newcomer. He wore simple brown robes with a rope tied around the waist. But the robe did very little to hide the strength of his body. He was physical fit like Maxwell but of a slightly smaller build. He had gray-blue eyes, dirty blonde hair cut very short – military style, one star-shaped earring in his left ear and a slight beard developing along his jaw and chin. He was also carrying a tray with a bowl on it.

            Maxwell greeted the stranger immediately. “Garrett! So good of you to come! I was just having a chat with her majesty!”

            Maxwell turned to look at me and smiled wide. I smiled in return. Garrett stopped beside Maxwell and looked between us. He frowned.

            “What have you said, exactly?” Garrett demanded.

            Maxwell chuckled. “Nothing inappropriate, Garrett. I swear. Right?”

He looked to me for confirmation but I was more focused on the wonderful smell coming out of the bowl that Garrett held. Of course, the view of Garrett’s hands holding the bowl didn’t hurt either. His hands were rough and had multiple scars. A man who used his hands often and well probably. What am I thinking? I quickly snapped out of it and responded.

            “Oh, yes! Of course! A true gentleman!”

            Now it was Garrett’s turn to laugh. “A true gentleman, Maxwell? If there ever was one, I should say!”

            Maxwell stood up and punched Garrett lightly in the shoulder.

            “Laugh all you want, old man.” He turned to me. “I’ll leave you in the care of our illustrious leader.” He bowed then walked out of the room.

            I looked at Garrett questioningly. “Old man? You two don’t seem that far apart in age.”

            He shook his head and handed me the bowl. The delicious smell made my stomach rumble.

            “We aren’t. He’s twenty-seven. I’m thirty-two. But Maxwell likes to use every advantage he can when responding to a protest against his gentlemanliness.”

            He sat down and placed the tray across his lap. I tentatively tasted the broth in the bowl. After one spoonful though I couldn’t stop. It was amazing. And after last night my stomach was thankful to have something to quell the shock.

            Garrett raised an eyebrow. “Enjoying it I see. You can thank Gwen for that.”

            Gwen? Did Garrett have a girlfriend? I imagined women would be throwing themselves on him every chance they got.

            “Are there any more people I should know about?” I smiled faintly.

            Garrett shook his head. “Not that I am aware of. At this safe house at least. There’s just me, Maxwell, Tucker, Cat and Gwen. Although Gwen is not a knight like the rest of us.”

            “Oh,” I finished my soup and handed it to Garrett. “About what Maxwell said earlier…me being King Arthur? What is that all about? And you guys are knights? This is the 21st century right?”

            Garrett put the bowl on the tray and locked eyes with me. “You ARE King Arthur but not the man himself. You are the reincarnation of him. It is in your blood. That is why the Ursum was looking for you last night.”

            “What? It was looking for me? That horrible thing?”

            “Yes…and we are descendants of the Knights of the Round Table. The ones who protected King Arthur and swore loyalty to him. Over the years some lines have ended unfortunately.”

            I took a moment to process all of what he was telling me. This was completely crazy, right?! But, then again, I did see with my own eyes a giant bear last night with glowing eyes. It couldn’t be a dream when I remembered it so vividly, could it?

            “How do you know I am the reincarnation of King Arthur?” I asked honestly.

            “Well, for one, you are wearing Excalibur.” Garrett pointed to my bracelet.

I looked at the tiny sword charm on my bracelet and laughed like a crazy person.

            “You’re kidding, right? I mean, this tiny thing can’t be Excalibur! I think Excalibur would be a lot more impressive looking! This thing can’t puncture a balloon let alone rule all of Britannia.”

            “Are you sure? I think it is more a matter of you haven’t learned yet how to properly utilize it. Excalibur is no ordinary sword. It is imbued with magic. That means that for Excalibur to change size would be a small feat.”

I started to wonder if we all were drinking from the crazy Kool-Aid. Of course the hot guy is a lunatic.

            “We can train you how to use Excalibur and unlock its potential. Also, regardless of Excalibur, Arthur’s blood flows in your veins. Cat told me about the nightmares you’ve been having. You are no doubt seeing images of your past life.”

I was really getting tired of explanations. Sure I had questions and some of them had been answered but all this reincarnation stuff was information overload. I wanted to see Cat and feel just a little stability amidst all this crazy.

            “Well, if I am King Arthur’s reincarnation then that means you have sworn your fealty to me. And it means you have to let me do as I please.”

            “Of course, your majesty. You are not a prisoner here by any means.”

            “Then I wish to go and see Cat. I am feeling much better.”

            “And so it shall be, but would your majesty like to change first?”

I looked down and noticed that I wasn’t wearing my clothes from last night. Instead I had on a hospital gown.

            “WHO TOOK OFF MY CLOTHES?!” I screamed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Morgana sat at a table in the corner of the coffee shop. This gave her the best view of the establishment while keeping her out of direct line of sight from the door. This way she could watch everyone who came through. She’d been here twenty minutes. She hadn’t intended to buy anything but the store required her to order something if she wished to stay. So she’d ordered a chai latte. She was taking a sip from it when he walked in.

He being the teenager with dyed blue hair sticking straight up on his head. He had brown eyes and piercings in both his nose and lip. He wore a dark t-shirt under a grey hoodie with “Rebel” scrawled across it, baggy blue jeans and sneakers. He visited this coffee shop every day and always ordered a dark roast.

Morgana watched as he walked up to the register and placed his order. Her eyes followed him to the counter where he waited for his name to be called. Now was her chance. She reached out towards the magical energy floating all around and within her. She focused the power and called out to it. With ease she made the label on the boy’s coffee change from his name to hers.

“Meredith? One dark roast for a Meredith?” One of the coffee shop workers called.

Morgana quickly got up and walked over to the counter. She feigned confusion.

            “What? I didn’t order this. You are mistaken.”

            The teenager stepped in. “Um, excuse me. But I think you wrote her name on my order by mistake.”

The employee, thoroughly confused, shrugged his shoulders and handed the coffee to the boy.

            “My apologies, ma’am. Sir.”

Morgana giggled nervously. “Crazy huh? Usually they are so good with their orders.”

“Yeah,” the boy smiled weakly and moved over to the counter where all the coffee fixings were.

            Morgana followed him. “I’m so sorry about the mix-up. Allow me to make it up to you.”

            The boy laughed. “It wasn’t like you magically switched our names or anything. You did nothing wrong so you have nothing to apologize for.”

            Morgana pouted a little. “Maybe. But it would make me feel better if I could buy you a coffee next time or something.”

            The boy shrugged. “Sure, I guess. No skin off my nose. If you insist.”

            Morgana clapped happily. “I do! I’m Meredith by the way.”

            The boy nodded. “Yeah, I heard earlier. I’m Patrick.”

            “Nice to meet you Patrick. See you tomorrow!” Morgana smiled and waved at the boy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            After changing in to my own clothes, and calming down, I finally got to meet with Cat. As for the clothing removal, apparently it had been done by Gwen, the one who had made me the broth, so thankfully I didn’t have to worry about any of the men seeing me naked.

I met Cat in an indoor greenhouse of sorts. Garrett explained to me that the greenhouse contained herbs for Gwen’s healing potions and various poultices. Apparently Gwen was a real do it all kind of gal. I made a note to meet her later. He also said that some of the ingredients for spells were grown here. By spells I assume he meant magic but I wasn’t sure how ready I was to sign on for the crazy train.

As soon as I saw Cat I ran and threw my arms around her. She was such a sight for sore eyes. She no longer had on the armor I saw her in before. She wore a simple blue cotton dress with a lace ribbon of the same color around her neck. Her hair was gathered in a loose net that allowed it to hang down in the back.

            “Cat! I am so glad to see you! Things have been crazy!” I squeezed her as hard as I could.

            “Hey now! Don’t suffocate me after I saved your life!”

            I immediately let go and stepped back. “Sorry! I am just so happy to see you and find out you are alright. I was worried about you!”

            Cat smiled. “It’s good to see you too, Erin. I’m glad I got to you in time last night.”

Cat gestured to a bench nearby that sat in front of a small but well decorated water fountain. We both took a seat. I took a moment to glance around the greenhouse. It was about medium in size I guessed as far as greenhouses go. Most of the plants I saw I had no idea what they were. Only a small section in the greenhouse contained regular fruits and vegetables that I recognized.

            “This place is amazing,” I said awestruck.

            Cat nodded. “Yes. Gwen works hard to maintain it and she is responsible for organizing what species are brought in.”

            I just let my mouth hang open. “This Gwen sounds like a miracle worker. She changed my clothes, made me food and also dabbles in healing remedies as well as plant care.”

            Cat chuckled. “Gwen is pretty awesome. She’s definitely a lover not a fighter so she feels like it is the least she can do to support our cause.”

            “Our cause?” I asked. “You know, ever since I got here I’ve been bombarded with information I can’t seem to wrap my head around. The KRC, magic, me as the reincarnation of King Arthur, etc. Please tell me this is all just a dream Cat.”

            Cat sighed heavily. “I’m afraid not, Erin. I am a part of this world and have been for some time. You are a part of it now too. You are our leader.”

            My stomach felt queasy suddenly. “Leader? I can’t led anything! I mean I can barely keep teenagers under control for a history class!”

            “Whether you have faith in yourself or not, you are a leader. It is in your blood and Excalibur wouldn’t have chosen you were you not worthy.” Cat placed a finger against my bracelet.

            “Yeah, Maxwell said something similar. But I have yet to see this Excalibur in action.” I stared at the sword charm as if it would suddenly grow in size before my very eyes.

            “Excalibur is connected to you and your emotions. You must have courage to wield it.” Cat replied.

            I laid my head back against the bench and stared at the glass ceiling of the green house. “Courage? You say it so easily but right now I am not so confident or courageous about anything.”

            “Is that so?” Cat eyed me. “Perhaps you just need a little motivation.”

Before I could react Cat had pulled out a dagger from somewhere and had it at my throat.

            “Cat?! What the hell?!” I yelled.

            “I am giving you motivation,” she replied matter of factly. “Defend yourself or I will take your life.”

            “Cat! For God’s sake! Stop playing around!”

 

My yelling brought the other knights in to the room. Maxwell and Garrett stopped just a few paces behind Cat. They had drawn longswords and stood in battle ready mode.

            “Cat? What do you think you’re doing? Have you lost your mind?” Garrett demanded.

Cat didn’t respond and instead pressed the dagger slightly into my skin causing a trickle of blood to run down my neck. I gasped in shock. Garrett and Maxwell advanced on Cat. Surprisingly it was I who stopped them.

            “Stand down!” I commanded. “I think I know what Cat wants me to do. And I have to do it myself.”

Maxwell seemed still unsure about the situation but Garrett held out an arm to stop him from interfering. I locked eyes with Cat and saw the intensity in them. She was serious. I had to respond or else. That meant I had to view Cat as an enemy not a friend. I quickly apologized to her in my mind then kneed her as hard as I could in the stomach. I felt her dagger cut a little further along my skin but it didn’t go deep. I managed to slide off the bench and run. Cat recovered quickly and followed. I tore across the greenhouse and hid behind a patch of tomatoes. Cat came up on my spot but didn’t see me right away. So I took my advantage and rushed out to topple her over. The dagger went sailing away. However, even without a dagger, Cat was not to be trifled with. She almost immediately had me planted under her and my wrists restrained. I kicked like hell but she managed to avoid or stiffen my blows with her body weight. I thrashed until I felt fatigued.

            “Is your majesty going to give up so easily?” Cat taunted me.

I felt my blood boil in response. I wasn’t a trained fighter like Cat but that didn’t mean I had no fight left in me. If my life was on the line I was going to struggle to protect it until my last breath. The next move I made I wasn’t proud of but it had to be done. I leaned over and bit one of Cat’s hands. I think I even drew a little blood. She hissed at the pain and loosened her grip just a little. This allowed me to scurry out of her grasp and run again. I couldn’t keep running though. In a war of attrition Cat would win. I was exhausted already. Then I remembered that I supposedly had Excalibur at my disposal. But how could I activate it? Cat was racing towards me. I had to think of something. I remembered Cat telling me that Excalibur was connected to me and my emotions. So that meant it was an extension of my emotions and self? Cat was almost on me. I breathed and focused on my desire to survive, to live. I believed in the magic in my charm.

            I called, “Excalibur to me!”

A bright flash of light erupted and flooded the greenhouse. I couldn’t see a thing. Then the light subsided and before me I saw Cat standing in front of me, her eyes wide with surprise. The point of a large sword hovering in front of her face. I felt a weight in my hand and looked down to see that I was the one wielding the sword. The sword itself was magnificent, almost otherworldly. The blade glimmered in the light of the greenhouse, the hilt had griffon wings carved into it and the pommel also featured a griffon’s head. Some kind of runes ran down the blade.

            “You did it, Erin.” Cat smiled at me. “I knew you could.”

I was breathing very raggedly. I couldn’t believe what I had just done. I’d really called Excalibur to my hands. Garrett and Maxwell joined us. Both of them smiled approvingly.

            “Well done, your majesty. You and Excalibur have formed a bond.” Maxwell clapped me on the shoulder.

My shock slowly subsided and I felt anger flood to the surface.

            “You tried to kill me, Cat! WHAT THE HELL?!” I shouted.

            “I did it for your own good. I trusted you would be able to do it.” Cat grinned.

            “SO WHAT?! YOU’RE MY FRIEND! FRIENDS DON’T DO THAT TO ONE ANOTHER!” I glared at Cat.

Cat’s expression turned from one of victory to one of sadness. She cast her eyes downward.

            “Look, I’m sorry, Erin. I really am. If there was another way…”

            “Whatever…” I wanted to forgive her and start over but a part of me felt like I didn’t really know Cat at all. Perhaps I just needed time.

            “Now, now, let’s not fight anymore!” Maxwell interceded. “Besides, we need to get Gwen to look at that cut on your neck, Erin, and the injury on your hand, Cat.”

            “You’re right.” I relented. No use bickering when Cat did accomplish what she set out to.  “Um, how do I shrink this thing again?”

We all stood in a circle, dumbfounded. Then a voice broke the silence.

          “Ah! I see you’ve woken Excalibur and thereby jogged me from my rest!”

We all looked around to see if someone else was here. The voice chuckled.

            “I’m not out there! I’m in here!”

We all stared at the sword. A bluish light started forming on the hilt then flew off and grew larger until it was about the size of a crystal ball. Out of the bluish light an elderly man’s face appeared.

            “You’re the man from my dreams!” I exclaimed.

            The man smiled. “Quite right. I am known as Merlin.”


	3. Excalibur

“The sword choses you, not the other way around.”

Chapter 3: Excalibur

After chatting with Merlin for a while, Garrett insisted Cat and I go to the infirmary. Merlin kindly informed me how to return Excalibur, or “Cal” as he referred it, back to small size. Apparently Merlin had bonded with Excalibur somehow so that now his soul existed inside the sword. His physical body was gone. He’d lost it many eons ago when Morgana attacked Camelot. Who Morgana was or why she’d attacked Camelot was left out of the equation for the time being but I planned on speaking further with Merlin on the subject when I was alone. I couldn’t explain it but I really like the old man. He made me feel comfortable like a grandfather would. Plus, I really didn’t want to deal with Cat or the other knights right now. Luckily, in the infirmary I finally had the pleasure of meeting Gwen.

Gwenyth Camden was the cutest person I’d ever seen. She wore glasses a little bit too big for her face, clothes that were a bit too old for her (as in something from my grandmother’s generation), and stockings with pudgy cats on them. She kept her long brown hair pulled back into a ponytail but a few strands stuck out here and there. She had brown eyes. She also had the tiniest mole above her lip. Her skin was alabaster almost. She was also rather short, at least shorter than Cat or me. But she was absolutely adorable and the nicest person I’d ever met.

            “There you go!” She smiled. “All set!”

She’d carefully applied salve to my neck wound and laid cloth bandages over it. She then secured the bandages with some tape that would peel off easily later.

            “Thank you, Gwen. For everything. You’ve been taking care of me since I entered this place.” I hopped down from the stool Gwen had me sit on while examining me.

            “Think nothing of it, Erin! It is my pleasure.” She flushed with embarrassment.

            “You are pretty amazing with all the things you do around here. I’d say you are more valuable than me!” I laughed.

            Gwen’s eyes widened and she flushed an even deeper shade of red. “Oh no! Don’t say such a thing! I can’t compare to your majesty!” She even added a bow to the end.

            I immediately rushed to stop her. “Don’t! Please. I don’t want there to be any awkwardness like that between us.”

            “Okay, sorry your majesty. I mean, Erin! Sorry.” Gwen smiled weakly.

            “That’s better!” I hugged her. “So I’ve been wondering, if the others are all descendants of Knights of the Round Table and I am the reincarnation of Arthur, which I still am unsure of, then are you a descendant of someone too?”

            Gwen nodded. “Yes, actually. Can you guess?”

Gwen’s tone was playful. So she had some spirit after all! I smiled. I thought about it for a moment then smacked my forehead with my hand. Of course! How had I not figured it out before? The names were very similar.

            “It isn’t Guinevere is it?” I stuck out my tongue.

            “Correct!” Gwen giggled. “Guinevere, the wife of King Arthur.”

            “And lover of Ser Lancelot, right?” I added.

At this Gwen became rather quiet. Her cheeks flushed and she fidgeted with her skirt.

            “Yes…that is true also.” She acknowledged.

I wracked my brain for a reason as to why Gwen’s demeanor had changed all of a sudden. Then it hit me.

            “Do you like one of the knights here?”

Gwen turned her back to me and started grounding up some herb with the mortar and pestle. I looked at her questioningly.

            “Gwen? Did I touch a sore spot or something? What’s wrong?” I asked concerned.

            “It’s…nothing,” she said. “I just…well…you know that Maxwell, Garrett, Cat and Tucker are all descendants of the knights and therefore have a specific knight’s lineage. Have you ever thought about which one is which?”

            “Hm, I’m not sure. I mean I don’t think they will be as easy as yours considering you share the same name as your ancestor,” I said.

            Gwen laughed a little. “That’s true. My parents were very concerned with our lineage. I have three sisters who are all named Gwen as well.”

            My eyes bugged out. “Whoa! You are kidding me! That is ridiculous.”

            Gwen turned back to face me. “You’re telling me! School was a nightmare! Everyone mixing us up and causing very awkward situations. I am the youngest. All my elder sisters decided to go into regular jobs. That left me to carry out the family destiny so to speak.”

            I frowned. “Well I am glad you did but that doesn’t sound very fair to you. I am sure you had other interests then sticking to destiny. Destiny is pretty lame, in my opinion.”

            Gwen’s smile brightened. “You are funny, Erin! As to my other interests, I’ve always been into gardening and cooking. And I can do both here. I am pretty content. The only thing I wish I had more time for is singing. I love to sing.”

            “Really? I would love to hear you sing sometime!” I exclaimed.

            Gwen reddened. “I’m not sure I am up for an audience. Usually I do it privately. I’m still too nervous.”

            “I am sure you are fantastic!” I reassured her.

            Gwen blushed. “Thank you for your confidence Erin. Anyways, can you guess which knight is which?”

            “Let’s see,” I thought hard about what I had learned historical about each knight’s personality and characteristics, “I am guessing that…”

After several minutes of failed guesses I hung my head in defeat.

            “I don’t know them well enough yet, Gwen! And I haven’t even met Tucker yet! You have to tell me or I will never figure it out.” I pleaded with her.

            Gwen smiled. “Alright, I’ll tell you. Cat is Sir Ector’s descendant, Garret is Sir Galahad’s, Tucker is Sir Percivale’s and Maxwell is Sir Lancelot’s.”

            I grinned and grabbed Gwen’s hands. “So Maxwell is Lancelot, huh? And you are Guinevere? I am guessing that means he is the one you’re interested in?”

            Gwen pulled her hands from mine but remained smiling. “Perhaps.”

            “Gwen!” I was overjoyed for her. “You picked a fine male specimen alright.” I winked at her.

That’s when Garrett walked in to the infirmary.

            “Who’s a fine male specimen?” he asked.

            “No one!” Gwen and I blurted at the same time.

            “I see.” Garrett arched his eyebrow.

            “What did you want Garrett?” I asked.

Gwen went back to fiddling with the mortar and pestle.

            “I would like a moment alone with you, your majesty.”

He walked out of the infirmary and I followed him.

            “Please call me Erin.” I insisted.

            “Alright…Erin,” he said hesitantly.

We walked along the hallway in silence for a bit before Garrett spoke up again.

            “Erin, I was wondering if you would like to train in using Excalibur? I am willing to offer you my services in that regard.” His eyes scanned my face.

            “Oh? I hadn’t really thought about it. I mean I’ve just gotten Excalibur working so to speak. I’m not sure I am up for training.”

My eyes traveled down his face to his broad shoulders. I could definitely think of a few other services I would like him to render, I thought wickedly.

            Garrett’s tone became serious. “I think it is imperative we begin your training as soon as possible. We knights will protect you as best we can, of course, but being able to defend yourself is important as well.”

            “I suppose you are right. Except no one has really told me what it is you are all protecting me from exactly. Merlin mentioned a Morgana but didn’t really explain much further.”

I stepped a bit closer to him and sniffed the air. An amazing scent was coming from him. He didn’t seem the type to wear any kind of cologne so I guessed it was his natural masculine smell. My God this man was captivating. I had trouble focusing.

            “I am willing to share what information I know, Erin.”

I loved hearing my name come out of his mouth.

            “That would be great! Just let me go back to my room for a moment then I will meet up with you.”

            Garrett nodded. “Alright, let’s meet up in the greenhouse, shall we? You remember where that is?”

            “I think so!” I giggled. “See you later!”

I raced away before I was tempted to jump on him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Once in my room I focused and called out to Excalibur. This time the sword responded faster. Almost immediately Merlin appeared in his little blue crystal floating ball.

            “Hello again, Erin!”

            “Hello, Merlin.”

            “Back again for more answers?”

            “You are correct!”

            Merlin smiled. “The youth are so full of energy! I remember my younger years when I had a body to speak of.” He chuckled.

            “How did you lose your body exactly, Merlin?” I asked.

            He sighed. “In the Battle for Camelot. Morgana and her tribe invaded in order to overthrow Arthur. I was the last magical defense against her. I gave my all to protect my liege but it wasn’t enough. Morgana overpowered me and wounded me severely. I managed to survive long enough to cast a spell that would allow for Arthur to be reborn in another time then I died and my soul joined with Excalibur. It was the closest magical object and without a body I needed a place to imbue my soul. I felt that should Arthur be reborn, he would need me still. I couldn’t just die.”

            “You sound very dedicated to Arthur,” I said.

            “I was and still am. Very dedicated to you now young lady. Arthur was a great and kind man. He was loved and respected by his people, close friends with all of his knights and very honorable.”

            “Sounds like I have some very big shoes to fill.”

            “Big shoes to fill?” Merlin looked at me confused.

            I laughed. “It means that I have a lot to live up to. Arthur has set a great example and now I must show that I too can follow it.”

            Merlin shook his head. His grey beard swishing to and fro. “Not necessarily, my dear. Just because you are the reincarnation of Arthur does not mean you are exactly like Arthur. You are your own person. You may differ from Arthur in some ways and match him in others. Only time will tell what kind of path you will lead us all on.”

            “Yes, no pressure at all!” I laughed nervously.

            “You have Excalibur, me and your knights to help you, Erin. Don’t worry too much. Take it one step at a time.”

            I nodded. “You’re right. I am thinking too far ahead.”

I concluded my talk with Merlin and returned Excalibur. Arthur Pendragon seemed like an amazing man. If he couldn’t stand up against this Morgana then how did anyone expect me to?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I met with Garrett in the greenhouse and we sat down on the same bench that Cat and I had earlier. Sitting there I thought about her and our fight. I still wasn’t happy with her. I didn’t even know if I wanted an apology from her. I didn’t know if we could be as close of friends even if we did make up. I cared about Cat a great deal but her earlier actions also terrified me and showed me a side of Cat I’d never seen before. I had trouble reconciling this Cat with the one I knew from our time together at school.

            “I’m sure she is hurting as much as you are right now,” Garrett’s voice interrupted my thoughts.

            “What? How did you know I was thinking about her?” I asked.

            Garrett turned his head towards me and smiled. “Because you two are best friends, are you not?”

            I frowned. “I am confused.”

            Garrett sighed and reached over to ruffle my hair. “Best friends fight. That is the way of things. But best friends also reconcile and in the interim they will think about one another. It is impossible not to know this. Plus, I saw Cat earlier making the same expression. You have a particular knit in your brow when you think of her.”

He reached out and poked the area between my eyebrows. I pulled back and swatted his finger away.

            “Hey! No touching royalty!” I joked.

            Garrett laughed warmly. “Oh, so you are coming to terms with your destiny then?”

            I ran my fingers through my hair to fix any mess Garrett had caused. “Perhaps.” I grinned.

            “I’m glad to hear it. We all need to remain strong, together.”

I am not sure if it was just me but the way Garrett said “together” sent a shiver throughout my body. A sudden warmth followed the shiver and made my chest hurt. Without thinking I reached out and placed my hand against his cheek. Garrett inhaled sharply but he didn’t move away. Our eyes remained fixed on each other. I stroked his stubble of a beard lightly with my thumb.

            “I’m sure you hear this all the time but I think you have beautiful eyes, Garrett,” I whispered.

Our faces were now mere inches apart.

            “Actually, this is the first time…” he responded just as softly.

A bird flying overheard and squawking caused us to draw back. The moment had been ruined. Whatever transpired between us a few seconds earlier was over. Garrett shuffled further down the bench and cleared his throat. I sighed and glared in the direction of the bird. Perhaps I would have to ask Gwen about cooking bird tonight.

            “So you wanted to know about Morgana and Battle of Camelot, yes?” Garrett’s voice cracked for just a moment.

I suppressed a giggle and nodded. It was nice to know that I’d had an effect on him.

Garrett went on to explain to me what he knew of Morgana. Apparently his family had kept old texts from their knightly lineage that talked about some of what transpired at the Battle of Camelot as well as what led up to it. Apparently, Morgana was a member of a tribe that traveled from distant lands to settle near Camelot. She and some others in the tribe could use magic. However, this magic was branded as dark magic. Morgana visited Camelot one day and became enamored with Arthur. As to whether he truly loved her or she cast a love spell on him, it is up for debate apparently. The two were lovers for some time but eventually Arthur broke off the liaison in order to prepare for his nuptials to Guinevere. Morgana, spurned by her lover, became furious and called on her tribe and their dark magic to destroy Camelot and its king. Morgana achieved victory but not without consequence. She would never be able to get her hands on the magical ley lines below Camelot while Arthur’s soul reincarnated.

            “Why does she want to access these magical ley lines anyway?” I asked.

            “No one knows for sure but some have speculated that she used up a lot of her own magical energy during the battle and needs more to fully recover. Then she will use that magic to reshape the world to her liking. To a world filled with darkness and evil.” Garrett looked at me seriously. “It is something that we can never allow to come to pass.”

            “I agree but how exactly are we supposed to stop her when I couldn’t even handle that one Ursum?”

I looked down at my hands. I felt so powerless despite Excalibur. I wasn’t like the other knights.

            “That’s why I’m going to train you.” Garrett noted.

            I sighed. “But what if I am untrainable?”

            “You aren’t,” he responded with certainty.

I looked at him, shocked. His own eyes were piercing into mine.

            “Because I have faith in you,” he said.

            I smiled. “Thank you, Garrett.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A week passed. As promised, Garrett began training me. I found out that the KRC safe house had a gym in it too. What didn’t this place have? We trained three hours a day. Maxwell, Cat and Gwen all visited. Maxwell mainly came to tease me about my sports attire (aka it was somewhat revealing) and joke about how Garrett and I should just get a room already. Cat and I still weren’t on the best terms but she offered me some pointers and I thanked her. We were on speaking terms at least. I looked forward to Gwen’s visits the most because she brought yummy snacks. Garrett scolded me for eating snacks during training but when he realized his scolding did little to stop me he just gave up altogether. Bless him.

And bless his amazing body. I thought the robe he wore when I first met him didn’t hide much of his masculine form but I was dead wrong. Garrett in sports attire, i.e. track pants and no shirt on, made it really hard to concentrate at times. Especially when the sweat ran down his body and slipped below the waist band of his pants. The hairs just above the band promised a happy land indeed.

Cat informed me that the school we worked at had been contacted and informed of the reason for our absence. The reason being that we were both visiting sick relatives. She said it would give us some time until we decided to either give up our jobs entirely or think of a better excuse. I hadn’t even thought about work or my students since all the craziness began. I felt horrible for forgetting and thought about how much I would miss my students if I quit. I also wondered how Lee was doing. I wanted to visit him but Cat said it was out of the question considering we might put the school at risk should Morgana send another one of her cronies after us. I agreed but still felt awful.

            In the evenings, everyone gathered in the dining room for dinner. It was at these dinners that I finally met Tucker. Apparently Tucker wasn’t as much a fighter as the other knights. He enjoyed cooking and reading. He actually helped out Gwen quite a lot in the kitchen. Since I couldn’t be trusted with cooking appliances and therefore avoided the kitchen like the plague, I wasn’t surprised we hadn’t run into one another before then.

Tucker was older than Garrett even though he was the newest member. He looked to be about in his mid to late thirties. He wore less stylish clothes than Maxwell and reminded me of a dad figure. His conservative dress did not extend to his face though. He had several piercings in his ears on both sides and brown hair that went down to his shoulders. He looked like the kind of dad that took their kids to see all the naughty movies they shouldn’t. I liked him. He was polite, very kind and soft-spoken. He was also very intelligent. He had two doctorates. How he found time in his life for two doctorates, knight training and who knows what else I will never know.

One night after dinner, Merlin revealed to me that my training with Excalibur might be better handled if we actually knew more about the sword and the magic within. For that, he suggested we visit Marina.

            “But weren’t you a close advisor of Arthur’s? How come you can’t tell us more about it?” I asked.

            “I wish I could, young one. But despite being inside Cal and sharing our magical energies, I know very little of Cal’s creation and its capabilities. Arthur kept a lot of that a secret. He said that the only other person who knew as much, possibly more, about Cal than him was a lady by the name of Marina.”

            “Marina, hm. How would she still be alive today if she lived back then? Is she a sorceress of some kind like Morgana?”

            “I’m not sure. All Arthur told me was that she was no ordinary human and I would assume so seeing as she is connected to the creation of Cal. I imagine she’s alive even now.” Merlin stroked his beard in contemplation.

            “I see.” I laid back on my bed and set Excalibur down next to me.

Merlin’s orb hovered closer to me.

            “Is something the matter, Erin?”

            “No, I’m just tired.” I pulled up the covers and crawled under them. “I’m going to bed now. Talk with you later, Merlin!”

            “Goodnight your grace.”

Merlin’s crystal orb faded out, returning to Excalibur, and the sword slowly shrunk in size, appearing once more on my bracelet.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            The next day, I shared with the knights and Gwen what Merlin had told me. We discussed how to go about looking for this Marina. It was Gwen who came up with an idea.

            “Merlin said that this woman was involved in creating Excalibur, according to Arthur, right? So it would make sense that she poured some kind of magic into it yes? She shared a part of herself with the sword. So couldn't we use the sword itself to track her down?”

            “You mean like a homing beacon?” Maxwell tossed out.

            “Exactly!” Gwen brightened.

I could tell that Maxwell supporting her suggestion made Gwen quite happy. She was positively glowing.

            “That may be true but we can’t exactly go walking around with Excalibur out in public,” Garrett added.

            I nodded. “Yeah, and we don’t even know if Marina is nearby. She could be in another country for all we know!”

            “Or another dimension.” Tucker said.

All of us turned to look at him. It was rare for Tucker to speak at meetings. When he did it was usually to point out something very important. Unfortunately, Tucker’s intelligence level was so high that sometimes he suggested things the rest of us couldn’t follow. It didn’t help that Tucker was reading a sci-fi book at the table.

            “Tucker,” Maxwell pleaded, “Do you have to read while we are talking? I think those books are starting to interfere with your sense.”

Garret folded his arms on the table and placed his head atop them. Cat leaned back in her chair with a sigh and Gwen looked to me with a nervous smile.

            “Actually,” I said. “Tucker might have a point.”

Now everyone, including Tucker, looked at me.

            “What? We should consider it, yes?”

Suddenly the sound of a gong rang throughout the safe house.

            “What the hell was that?!” I grabbed on to the table to prevent myself from going through the ceiling in terror.

            Maxwell laughed. “It’s our doorbell.”

            “Doorbell?!” I shouted over the noise. “That’s one heck of a doorbell!”

            “More importantly, it means someone is here but we aren’t expecting visitors.” Garrett stood up from the table and belted his sword to his waist.

Maxwell, Tucker and Cat followed suit. Gwen moved over towards me.

            “I’ll stay here with Erin,” she said.

            Garrett nodded. “That is probably best. We will be right back.”

The four knights disappeared from the room. Several agonizing minutes of silence followed as Gwen and I waited. Then the knights returned with a person in toe. He looked to be a teenager. Gwen slipped her hand in to mine as we turned to face him. Garrett shoved the youth forward.

            “Tell her grace what you told us,” he commanded.

The youth looked nervous and flushed. He kept wringing his hands.

            “My name is Patrick,” he started. “And I have information regarding Marina or, as history knows her, the Lady of the Lake.”


End file.
